NAA: Romancing the Shadow
by Kathryn Christine Starcrafter
Summary: Shadria Fluff. Maria invites her shadow for a hopefully peaceful evening together.


**-DISCLAIMER-**

Sonic the Hedgehog and all related characters/themes © SEGA and/or Sonic Team.

'The New Age Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog' © Kathryn Christine Starcrafter/Lumorean Arts.

-**AUTHOR'S NOTES**-

For those who are not clear on the NAA version of Shadow's past Neaira is one of the scientists on the ARK who was killed. She is sort of like a surrogate mother to Maria. Shadow actually finds her a tad bit insane -like most of the other scientists on the ARK do. She helps the two with there relationship because of having a similar one when she was younger that resulted in tragedy. As such she does not want to see something similar happen to them.

-**SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG-**

Romancing the Shadow

She wanted to do something special for him. He had been pushed around a lot lately by his creator, hardly leaving any time for her and him to be alone together. She had planned a special meeting, with the help of her friend Neaira Tokugawa, for them to spend the night together without being found out. She was so excited!

Maria had Neaira register for next day, private access to a special hot tub at the back of the ARK. It was located in a quarter-sized BioDome, made just for private relaxation. But, instead of Neaira taking the time it would be Maria and Shadow. So, to ensure no one came in on them and found the switch, Neaira tinkered with the security cameras so that no one would catch them. As for the innards of the BioDome, Maria asked Neaira to change the scenery to match a warm, tropical jungle.

Maria changed in the entrance hall before stepping inside. The simulated humidity and birdsong were all so real to her senses, but then again, that was all she ever really knew. She felt the warm stones of the gravel path prick her bare feet as she walked up to the bubbling hot tub in the distance.

It was quite large but the only one on the ARK anyway. About five feet around with a depth of four, the fiberglass was sheathed in a milky, marble-colored paint. Two feet below the rim a little, mahogany porch helped those step inside, after climbing one small step.

Maria childishly hopped up the wooden plank, snuggled in a white towel. She let the cotton garb fall to the tiny deck, revealing a sky-blue, string bikini. The girl had ocean-blue eyes and shoulder-length strands of golden hair. Her skin was pale from being trapped in an artificial world since she was a child. She was a spry nineteen-year old despite her confined life, even finding love with another similar to her.

She spun her head to the one active camera locked on her. "Everything alright, Neaira?" she asked cheerfully.

Within the control room a tall, black-haired scientist sat in the monitor's seat. Her night-blue eyes scanned all the screen to ensure all were offline, safe the one recording Maria.

"Everything's perfect, hun. I'll black out the last camera and turn off the speakers for you two. You'll have about three hours before everything comes back online," Neaira explained with a sly smile.

Maria responded with a grin of her own and watched the small, red dot near the camera's lens dim to black. She was alone, at least for now.

"I'm going to leave the out-going speakers on so that if anyone does enter you'll hear them but they won't hear you. Have fun!" Neaira gave a final remark.

Maria could hear the chair shuffle and the woman walked out through the swish of the automatic doors. Maria grinned broadly despite herself, and jumped into the scorching waters. She couldn't wait for Shadow to arrive! As she floated softly within the lavender-scented bubbles she wondered if he had found her letter and was on his way. As she thought this her ears perked at a melodious clicking in the distance.

Maria straightened herself and stared at the entrance at the end of the cobble path. The camouflaged door opened slowly with a mirage-like flicker and a small, black figure emerged holding a scrap of paper in one of its paws.

He was the object of her affection. A strange yet wonderful creature he was. He was short but as strong as ten-thousand men. Covering his flesh a downy pelt of ebony fur softened his features. For a hedgehog his head-quills were shaped oddly, turned upwards like crescents and striped with crimson at the curve. Staring at his face from the front made his peach muzzle and ruby eyes look as though they were at the center of a star. Striped down the outside of his arms and legs was more blood-red fur, the only misplaced color seemed to be a V of white fluff softening his broad chest. The only accessories he kept were a pair of ivory gloves and shoes build with rockets at the base. Around his wrists and ankles golden rings clipped and held everything into place. In truth these were known as Power Suppressors, helping the Bio-Android -created by Gerald Robotnik, Maria's grandfather- control his Chaos Powers so they would not grow out of control and cause their wielder to turn insane.

"Maria? You in here?" he asked in his deep, seductive voice.

"Shadow!" she called to him, a petite hand waving amidst the vapors of the tub. "Come on in, the water's great!" she chanted sweetly, splashing about playfully to entice him.

When he caught sight of her he blushed. From this length it looked as though she was wearing nothing. He walked closer, his air-shoes crunching loudly on the stone path. At the stair he sat and removed his garments, one ring at a time, and tossed them beneath one of the steps.

Shadow then took his time to ascend the minuscule staircase and make his way to the bath. Maria giggled as he approached, wading to the opposite wall. He sighed as he stepped into the warming liquid, his cheeks still retaining the blush.

The hedgehog examined her through the mist. "When you told me to meet you someplace tonight I never expected it to be here."

Maria giggled again, swimming up close to him so that their noises were only inches apart. "Well, I wanted this time to be different."

Shadow smiled and lifted a warm paw to her cheek. She took his invitation and drew her lips closer for a steamy kiss. Maria sighed, relaxing her body against his. He released her cheeks and ran his claw through her dewed locks and down her back, eventually feeling over the strap of her bikini.

"You know, when I first walked in I thought you were naked." He smirked to her after their lips parted.

She smiled seductively back. "I can be, if you want."

Shadow gave a purr-like groan as he nuzzled into her neck, loving the feel of her body against his that he had been deprived of for so long. He smoothly undid the knot of string at the center of her back, all the while licking and sucking at the flesh around her collarbone. Maria moaned lovingly, resting her cheek against the crown of his skull and running her slim fingers through his silky, curved quills.

When the first strings were done, Shadow moved his bare paws to the knot at the back of her neck and began to undo it. Maria giggled at his touch. Shadow stopped for a moment before continuing. She giggled louder.

Shadow looked up with a smile. "What's wrong?" he laughed.

"You're tickling me!" Maria smiled.

"Really now?" He gave a playful smirk.

"Shadow-No!" Her eyes grew wide with excitement. "I know that look! Don't you dare!"

She screamed and laughed as Shadow began to stimulate her sensitive skin, still grinning mischievously Maria splashed frantically, trying to remove herself from Shadow's childish grip. He tickled her across the neck, under her arms, on her stomach, and hips till she was horribly out of breath from laughing. Shadow did the same as he finally released her. He backed away and noticed the top piece of her bikini that he was undoing had fallen away. He then noticed her blushing face with the same grin he had given her.

"What?" he asked, swimming away.

Maria swam closer, the smirk still on her face.

"No!-Maria-Ah!"

Before he could escape she gripped his waist and dragged him under with her. They screamed and laughed and splashed joyously around the hot tub, till both were burning and out of breath. By this time Shadow had hold of his love as she leaned against the side of the pool, obviously the victor. Maria ran her fingers down the fur of his back as he continued necking her like before. She pressed his body in against her bare breasts and felt the softness of his pelt against her nipples. Sighing contently she again rested her cheek against his foremost quill. They remained this way for a long while, simply listening to their heartbeats and breath, along with the chiming of water droplets and bird song of the manifested jungle around them.

"I've missed you Shadow," she cooed, "why has Grandpa been pushing you so hard?"

Shadow drew a deep breath, more out of annoyance than pleasure.

"He's getting close." Maria gave him a confused look. "He knows we're together but, I think, he's getting frustrated that he can't catch us in the act."

"I'm sorry," Maria sighed.

Shadow kissed the side of her nose. "Don't be. He could send me into suffering each day and I still wouldn't stop loving you."

She again sighed longingly, placing her face atop his humid fur. "I just can't stand seeing you hurt."

A thought crossed his mind to lighten the mood. "Just think, someday we'll leave this place and have a life of our own." He pulled back his head to stare lovingly into her crystalline irises. "A house on Mobius, maybe even a family. Then we won't have to ever worry about what others think of us."

Maria smiled and pressed their foreheads together. "That sounds wonderful. I can't wait."

But for now the present was at hand, ready to clench at any moment. Fate gave a tight squeeze and leaked a drop of blood onto the scene. At that moment Professor Gerald Robotnik, the greatest mind of the age, walked into the control room for that particular BioDome. From the settings Neaira had placed the two instantly heard the swoosh of opening doors and age-hindered voice soon after.

"Neaira, are you here?"

They both turned upwards to the control room.

"You can't be serious," Shadow hissed.

"Shadow, hide!"

Without another thought Shadow took a deep breath and held his nose. He ducked beneath the bubbling water, praying the cycle didn't shut off and reveal him beneath the white fuzz. Maria tried to relax herself before her grandfather figured out everything was off. It was then that she remember she had no top! Right at that moment a black paw rose out of the mist. In its fingers lay Maria's missing piece.

She quickly grabbed it and placed it back around herself right as the miniature, red light above the camera's lens flickered on.

"Maria? What are-Where is Neaira?" he asked.

"She umm-left a while ago and told me I could take the rest of the night. She said she needed to work on something important," Maria lied.

"Why was everything off?" he questioned.

"She wanted some privacy, you know how she can get."

"Right, right." Gerald began looking about the room. His eyes scanned the artificial scenery and noticed something that seemed estranged. A pair of jet-shoes and gloves, along with four power-suppressing rings beneath the staircase. A spark of rage shot to his heart, but he remained calm. "Where is Shadow?"

"Shadow? How would I know where he is?" Maria answered nervously.

There was silence for a second before his gruff voice growled, "I'll be right down."

Fear struck her, immediately grabbing Shadow she lifted him out of the water and whispered frantically, "Shadow, he knows! You have to get out of here, quickly!"

Without a word he propelled himself out of the hot tub and grabbed hold of his shoes, gloves, and rings before making his cliché exit via an air vent off to the right. It seemed an almost perfect escape. Maria calmed herself as best she could and forced herself to nonchalantly step out of the calming liquid and redress in the cotton robe. A pang of sadness burned in her veins and swirled with a multitude of other emotions she couldn't place.

Gerald appeared soon after and stomped noisily to her granddaughter. "Maria, I know he's in here. It'd be easier if you just tell me the truth."

For some reason she felt just fed up. "Grandpa, he's not here."

She walked right beside him and exited without a glance. There was nothing else she could do so she simply walked back to her room. Gerald watched her leave, when she was out of sight he bent forward and peered beneath the stair. He reached far back and gripped a glittering object. Once he revealed it in the BioDome's lighting his eyes narrowed aggressively. He knew it! It was one of Shadow's Power Suppressors! Maria, his own granddaughter, had lied to him. One of these days he would catch them. But if one more straw snapped he had no reason not to lock that hedgehog up for good!

-**END**-


End file.
